How do you breed dogs for business?

Answer 1

First off, if you're going to be a responsible breeder, don't breed too many! 2 litters a year for one female is the most you should do, because they need time to recover. Most single-family breeder operations I know of deal with 5 or 6 litters a year and no more - it's a lot of work, and it really isn't all that much money once you take care of vet visits, whelping supplies, etc.

Most breeders have a special "whelping area," which is a largish, sheltered room where the dogs have their puppies. Fill it with nice nesting materials like straw and blankets.

Don't advertise on those big aggregator sites, as these are full of puppy mills. Put ads in the paper or make your own website. Screen clients so that you know your puppies are going to a good home. Most good clients will want registration papers so that they know their dogs are pure bred. Really good clients will also require you to offer refunds for health problems and/or make you take the dog back.

But most importantly, read up! Don't just ask these sites. Buy several books on dog breeding, interview other breeders, and have a practical outlook on how successful your business is going to be.

IMO, I think it's a bad time to be breeding dogs because with the economy in such a bad state so many dogs are ending up homeless. Please make sure you REALLY know what you're doing before you dive in.